A passenger plane is ablaze after crashing at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, Sunday. Among 181 people onboard, 179 died in the accident. Yonhap

A total of 179 people were killed in a Jeju Air plane crash at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, Sunday.

While there were 181 people onboard, rescue authorities said only two were rescued and all the others were confirmed dead.

According to rescue authorities, 173 Korean passengers, two Thai travelers, and six crew members were aboard the Jeju Air flight, which departed from Bangkok, Thailand at 1:30 a.m. and was scheduled to land at Muan International Airport at 8:30 a.m.

The Boeing 737-800 initially attempted to land but was unable to do so. It then circled the airport and tried to land again, but the plane belly-landed and veered off the runway. The aircraft subsequently collided with a structure at the end of the runway, bursting into flames at 9:03 a.m.

Bereaved families of the victims of the deadly airplane crash at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, look at a list of victims whose identities have been confirmed, Sunday. Yonhap

The fire was extinguished 43 minutes after the crash.

Emergency responders rescued two crew members, who were found in the tail section of the plane, while the others did not survive as most of the aircraft was severely burned and destroyed. They added it will take some time to identify the victims.

The rescued crew members were moved to hospitals in Seoul and are not in critical condition. One of them suffered fractures in multiple parts of the body and was placed in the intensive care unit, while the other sustained injuries to the head and ankle.

This is the deadliest flight accident to take place in Korea, surpassing the Asiana Airlines plane crash in 1993 which killed 66 people. It is also the accident with the third largest number of fatalities involving a Korean passenger plane, following the 1983 Korean Air flight that was shot down by a Soviet fighter jet, killing 269 people, and the 1997 Korean Air crash in Guam, which claimed 228 lives.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident. While video footage showed that the plane's landing gear malfunctioned, investigators believe that a bird strike may have contributed to the incident, as some witnesses reported seeing the plane collide with birds. One video also captured the engine under the right wing emitting flames and smoke before the crash.

"The control tower at the airport warned the plane of a potential bird strike," an official at the transport ministry said at a press briefing. "One minute after the warning, the pilot issued a Mayday call, and the plane crashed five minutes later ."

The official said the flight accident investigation body retrieved the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder.

Police and fire officials are stationed at a plane crash site at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Jeolla Province, Sunday. Yonhap

Authorities dismissed suspicions that Muan airport's relatively short runway may have contributed to the accident, stating that other planes have used the 2,800-meter runway without any issues.

The government activated the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and the Central Disaster Management Headquarters to quickly deal with the accident.

Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok ordered authorities to mobilize all personnel and tools to rescue people. Arriving at the scene of the accident, he designated Muan as a special disaster zone.

"The government will put all available resources for accident management and support for victims and their families," he said in a meeting with relevant authorities in the central and local governments.

Choi said the government will designate a seven-day national mourning period effective Sunday, lasting until midnight on Saturday.

Joint memorial altars will be set up at the crash site and in 17 cities and provinces. All ministries, local governments and public institutions will hoist the national flag at half mast, while public officials will wear mourning ribbons as a mark of condolence for the victims.

Jeju Air CEO Kim E-Bae, left, bows to apologize for a deadly plane crash at Muan International Airport, during a press conference at Mayfield Hotel in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

Jeju Air, the operator of the plane, issued a public apology and expressed its condolences.

Its CEO Kim E-bae said at a press conference held at Mayfield Hotel in Seoul that there was "no indication that there was anything wrong with the aircraft."

Asked about the cause of the accident, Kim said, "We cannot confirm (whether it was bird strike). It is difficult to determine the cause of the accident and we have to wait for the official announcement of the investigation by the government agency.

"As the CEO, regardless of the cause of the accident, I feel responsible. We will make every effort to quickly recover from the accident and support the families of passengers and do our best to find out with the government the cause of the accident," he said.

The accident occurred less than a month after Jeju Air began operating on the route. The low-cost carrier started regular services to Bangkok four times a week, along with three other international destinations on Dec. 8.